Rain continues to batter Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Torrential rain continued to wreak havoc in many parts of flood-ravaged Kerala on Tuesday and several areas of Idukki and Wayanad districts were cut off again after landslide and flash floods. What is more worrying is the forecast that wet weather condition will prevail for three more days in the state.
“It is the worst calamity after the 1924 deluge. At least 443 villages in the state were declared flood-hit. Initial loss is pegged at ₹8, 316 crore and the amount will go up once we get a clear picture,” said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the cabinet meeting. He lauded the timely help of the central government.
The government has also decided to drop the week-long Onam celebrations in view of the disaster. In worst-hit Idukki, vehicular traffic was banned in several areas and in hilltop shrine Sabarimala (Pathanamthitta district), pilgrims were barred after the base camp Pambha was submerged, revenue officials said. North Kerala districts Kannur, Palakkad and Kozhikode also received heavy rainfall. The worried state government has stepped up its efforts to mobilise financial assistance to mitigate the disaster. The CM said most of the rivers in the state were in spate and 27 dams were opened to release excess water for the first time. He also urged the centre to rush a fresh team to assess the damage inflicted by two spells of floods. A cabinet sub-committee has also been constituted to oversee relief operations.
“We are getting enough support from many quarters, ranging from cine actors to kids’ piggy banks. We have to reconstruct large areas from scratch,” he said. In Kannur, a video of small-time blanket seller, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, donating his entire stock to a relief camp has gone viral. Vishnu Kachav has turned a hero and his photo found place in CM’s social media wall as well. Amid looming crisis many young bureaucrats and rescue officials turned role models. In Wayanad, pictures of state food safety commissioner MG Rajamanickam and deputy collector NS Umesh unloading relief materials also turned a big hit.
Thanks to heavy deployment of forces and planning, human casualty was restricted to an extent. Army, navy, air force and national disaster rescue force personnel were deployed in many areas and they were helping the local administration to restore infrastructure.